WW2 Rare Polish Special Patch – 2nd Armoured Regiment (Beveren)

 Rare Polish special badge (patch) of the 2nd Polish Armoured Regiment of the 1st Polish Armoured Division of General Stanislaw Maczek. 

 Patch in the form of the coat of arms of the city of Beveren-Waas (Belgium), a heraldic shield with four horizontal golden stripes (gold bullion thread) on a blue background. Above the entire design dominates a red St. Andrew’s cross. The patch was introduced on November 1, 1946.

The 2nd Armoured Regiment of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, an integral part of General Stanisław Maczek’s 1st Armoured Division, played a key role in the Western European campaign during World War II. After undergoing training in the United Kingdom, the regiment was transferred to France at the end of July 1944. It saw its first combat on August 8, 1944, near Saint-Aignan-de-Cramesnil, where, alongside the 24th Uhlan Regiment, it took part in Operation “Totalize,” aimed at encircling German forces near Falaise. Despite difficulties and losses, the regiment continued its advance through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, participating in the liberation of cities such as Chambois, Breda, and Moerdijk. In May 1945, the 2nd Armoured Regiment reached Wilhelmshaven in Germany, where it accepted the surrender of the Kriegsmarine garrison, thus ending its combat path. After the war, the unit served as an occupation force in the Friesland region, and the town of Meppen, where the division’s headquarters was stationed, was renamed Maczków in honor of General Maczek.